Process for the production of briquetted fuel with asphaltic bitumens as binders



Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,603,961 PATENT OFFICE.

LUGIEN LIAIS, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BRIQUETTED FUEL WITH ASPHALTIC BITUMENS AS BINDERS.

Nolirawing. Application filed February 16, 1925, Serial No. 9,426, and in France March 18, 1924.

The present invention relates to the production of fuel briquettes and particularly the production b means of coal dust of briquettes or ba perforated or not, and other briquetted fuel products of the same description.

Hitherto, following a practice almost universal, the briquetting of fuels, principally of coal dust, is effected by means of coal tar. It is well known that the use of this product has the drawback of reducing the calorific output of the fuel and of producing much smoke, and in order to remedy this the use of various products commonly designated by the name of petroleum tar has been suggested as bindingmaterials.

During manufacture difficulty has been encountered due to fusion at the tempera tures normally employed in the case of the mixing apparatus making use of coal tar, in View of the fact that it has been necessary, in order to obtairi a briquette sufiicicnt-ly hard to be broken up, to introduce distillation. It has been found to be possible in this way to produce an agglomerant with a point of fusion of not less than 150 (1., which it was impossible to use under the conditions and with the standard plant for producing briquettes with coal tar.

In order to remedy this drawback trials have been made with petroleum tars having a melting point of lOO 0., but a soft product was obtained which could not subsequently be reduced to a-powdery state by direct crushing under the'conditions and with the standard plant for the production of briquettes with coal tar, which rendered any proportioning impossible, thus preventing the use, of petrol tars in a general way.

The precise object of the present invention is to enable petroleum tars to be used under the conditions and with the standard plant for the production of briquettes with coal tar, and .more particularly the use,

' among this class of products of the asphaltic 'bitumens, i. e. of products or of petro-' leum tars having a melting point varying between 90 C. and 120 C.

The subject of the invention, with this end in view, is aprocess for the production of fuel briquettes or agglomerates, more particularly of coal dust, in which the binding material employed is composed of asphaltic bitumens with a melting point varying by preference, between 90 C. and 120 (J.

sponges; obviously any substances other v than bi-balbonate of soda capable of forming carbonic acid or any other gas may be employed.

(a) In rapidly cooling down the foam by running it into a vat of cold water for instance, or in any other manner, so as to obtain a material as porous as pumice stone.

((5) In crushing this porous materiai in crushing mills, which results in granulated bitumen which may subsequently and easily be proportioned and mixed with the coal dustto be briquetted. In very hot weather and in order to avoid any choking of the crushers, a certain percentage of fine coal dust may be added to the porous bitumen at the time of crushing.

(e) In treating the mixture of powder or granules of bitumen and coal dust or other fuel dust, suitably proportioned, under the conditions and with the standard plant hitherto used for the briquetting with coal tar.

The briquetted or agglomerated fuels obtained in all shapes, by the process forming the subject of the present invention, offer the advantage as compared with those existing at present, of igniting rapidly onintroduction into the furnace and of producing a flame of a very high temperature, burning all the products of distillation of the agglomerant and consequently avoids ing any production of smoke.

This new description of fuel, apart from its use for the stoking of furnace of boilers or others, further ofli'ers the great advantage of being suitable for feeding-gas producers, in partlcular g.s generating apparatus for supplying internal combustion engines.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In the process of producing agglomerated combustibles, the steps comprising melting a petroleum tar, introducing a gas into said melted tar to cause it to foam,

then solidifying said foaming tar by sud-' den cooling of the same, reducing this porous solidified tar to a finely divided condition, and then utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided fuel particles.

2.-In the process of producing agglom will cause the tar to foam, solidifying the foaming tar by sudden cooling thereof, reducing the solidified tar to a finely divided condition, and utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided fuel particles.

4.- In the process of producing agglomerated fuels, the steps which comprise melting a petroleum tar, mixing therein bicarbonate of soda to cause the tar to foam by the gas liberated from the soda, solidifying the foaming tar by sudden cooling, reduc'ng the solidified tar to a finely divided condition, and utilizing the finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided solid fuel.

5. In the process of forming agglomerated fuels, the steps which comprise reducing to fluid condition a petroleum tar having a melting point between 90 C. and 120 C.. causing said tar to foam, solidifying said foaming tar by sudden cooling of the same, reducing said solidified tar to afinely divided condition, and utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided solid fuel.

6. Inthe process of producing agglomerated fuels, the steps which comprise reduc ng to -a fluid condition a petroleum tar having a melting point between 90 C. and

120 C., treating the fluid tar with a substance liberating gas upon subjection to heat to cause a foaming of the tar, solidifying the foaming tar by sudden cooling, reducing the solidified tar to a finely divided condition, and utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided solid fuel particles.

7. In the process of forming agglomerated fuels, the ste s which comprise reducing to a fluid condition a petroleum tar having a melting oint between 90 .C. and 120 (1., treating t e fluid tar with bicarbonate of soda to cause the tar to foam by the gas liberated from said soda, solidifying the tar by sudden cooling, reducing the solid ified tar to a finely divided condition, and utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided solid fuel.

8. In the process of forming agglomerated fuels, the steps which comprise reducing to a fluid condltion a petroleum tar hava melting point between 90 C. and 120 (l, treating the fluid tar with bicarbonate of soda to cause the tar to foam by the gas liberated from said soda, running said foaming tar into cold water to solidi the same, reducing the solidified tar to a ely divided condition, and utilizing such finely divided tar as a binder for finely divided solid fuel.

9. In the process of forming agglomerated fuels, the steps relating to the preparaation of a binder and comprising melting a petroleum tar, causing the tar to foam by treating the same with bicarbonate of soda, and solidifying the foaming tar.

10. In the process of forming agglomerated fuels, the steps relating to the preparation of a binder and comprising reducing to a flu d condition a petroleum tar Having a melting point between approximately 90 C. and 120 C., treating the tar with a gas to cause it to foam, and solidifying the foaming tar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- 

